


Dark eyes & a broken soul

by Lewkash



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Demon AU, Gen, M/M, Suicide Attempts, demon! minho, selfharm, slow burn?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-12
Updated: 2018-04-17
Packaged: 2019-03-30 13:06:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13952175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lewkash/pseuds/Lewkash





	1. Dark eyes and a broken soul

Minho shivered violently as a cold, sharp feeling ventured through his entire body. “What was that Minho?” Hyunjin laughed. Minho laughed with him, “Just a shiver.” A quick diversion, but their attention was soon brought back to the TV. They finally got around to watch some horror movies as they had mentioned in a Vlive previously. 

Minho’s eyes stung. Out of nowhere, right after the shiver they started hurting. Stinging like he was right in front of a fire and the smoke was creeping into his eyes but he couldn’t look away. He got up, excusing himself as they cursed at him for blocking their view. He made his way to the bathroom, flicked on the light. He splashed water in his face, using a cloth to dampen his eyes. Why would they be stinging this bad for no reason? He cursed at himself for being stupid. He had no reason to because the stinging was not his fault, it was no one’s fault. It was just there.

He brought his eyes to the mirror, horrified at what he saw. He had to bite down on the cloth to not scream and worry the others. He put his hand to the mirror, leaning closer to get a better view of whatever it was that had changed. His eyes. His eyes are dark, no doubt in that. This couldn’t be his eyes, just a trick his mind was playing because he got scared by the movie. Sure, nothing else. He tilted his head to the side, still watching his eyes in the mirror. They were black, extending outside his irises. They functioned like they’re supposed to, it didn’t hurt. He didn’t fell ill and the stinging was gone. 

He blinked down hard. Wishing it was just an illusion, hoping it would go away as he opened them. It did. He opened his eyes and they were back to normal. He sighed in relief. He was about to walk out again, return to the movie but a thought struck him. ‘What if I can control it?’ He froze, backed up and was again standing in front of the mirror. He inhaled, blinked down for a few seconds and exhaled as he opened them. Nothing. They were still normal, his usual, dull, dark eyes. He was almost disappointed, completely black eyes look badass. 

He walked back out and found his previous seat beside Hyunjin. “You ok?” Hyunjin whispered to not disturb the others as they were very fixated on the movie. “Yeah, no problem.” Minho shrugged it off, hoping he came off as normal to him. Hyunjin was suspicious “Mm, okay.” 

It was 3.54AM. Chan, Woojin, Jeongin, Seungmin and Jisung headed off to bed after the fifth movie. The sixth was rolling but no one was paying attention. Felix fell asleep on Changbin who was also fast asleep. Hyunjin was teasing Minho as this was a scary movie about heights. Minho was terrified of heights from before but this amplified that fear by a thousand. “Ohmygod, you’re even shaking!” Hyunjin threw his head back to laugh as he found Minho’s fear hilarious. Minho laughed with him but inside this made him more insecure. Was his fear really that pathetic? 

Minho could not fall asleep for the life of him. The sun was rising and he hadn’t gotten a minute of sleep. He didn’t even feel tired anymore, he felt wide awake. He laid there silently in his bed in the shared dorm room, tossing and turning to try and get comfortable. Nothing helped because it wasn’t the positions fault he could not sleep, it was his mind. He was thinking without meaning to. Thinking about why his eyes were black, if it was real at all. Maybe he was going crazy?

He decided to get up, find something to distract himself with. He went to the bathroom to get ready. He walked past a mirror in the hallway. Stopped, stared. No. He quickened his pace to the bathroom and almost slammed the door shut. His eyes were black again. He wanted to scream for help but what if the others didn’t see it? What if he really was insane? No, He couldn’t scare the boys like that. 

He was stressed. What the hell was this and why was it happening to him? He stared at himself in the mirror. He slapped his face, “Okay Minho. Now you’re losing your damn mind. Get your shit together and deal with this.” He gave himself a pep-talk. A nervous habit he tended to have when dealing with unknown situations. He took a step back. Wait. “That’s not how I sound?” He clasped both hands on his mouth. 

His voice was dark, way too dark but still too light at the same time. It was like multiple voices were speaking at the same time. He started to shake again, he had to sit down before he lost his balance. He put his head in his hands. “Why?” His voice was still strange. ‘I can’t speak like this around them.’ He noticed first now that he was drenched in cold sweat. He took a shower to get clean and as an attempt to calm down. 

Everything was normal again. His eyes were the same but he did not dare to speak. He would scare himself if he did and it would scare the rest as he was not good at hiding fear.   
He checked the time, 9am. The rest would probably wake up soon, if they weren’t already. He decided to cook himself breakfast. He ate quickly and decided he could hide in the guestroom. Pretend he was sick, that would work. They wouldn’t make him speak then, would they? He wrote a note and hung it up on the door. “I’m sick. Fuck off. -Minho <3 PS: I already ate.” He added the last part jus to be extra sure. 

He wasn’t in the guest room often. It felt strange, unfamiliar in a way. Almost like he was visiting someone for the first time and was afraid to explore his surroundings. The room wasn’t big so it didn’t have many spots for secrets. He heard shuffling outside. The others were awake.   
“Hey, Where’s Minho? He wasn’t in his bed.” Woojin asked the others that were there.   
None of them knew but they quickly discovered the note on the door.  
“Why the heck would he go in there just because he’s sick?” Jisung questioned, not sure what was going on at all.   
“He just wants some space I guess.” Chan tried to be understanding of the whole thing. He was just as unsure as the others but he decided it wasn’t a big deal. They started cooking breakfast. 

Minho already missed them. It felt weird being so close to them but not able to talk or interact, it was wrong but he had no other choice. The day went on, super slow. He hadn’t gone out of the room once. It was soon time for dinner but he had no appetite. He only had his phone to use to pass time, played some addictive games. He was focused on clearing this level he was stuck on. 

A knock on the door. 

He turned off his phone and shuffled around the bed to make it look like he was sleeping. He didn’t respond. He heard the creaking of the door and could faintly see the room getting a bit brighter behind his eyelids. 

“Hey Minho. Are you awake? Are you ok?” It was Chan who spoke. Minho didn’t move. “Asleep.” Chan closed the door again. Minho let out a deep breath he didn’t know he was holding in. 

It was 4pm now. Minho felt stinging in his eyes again.   
No, no, no. Stop. Leave me be, please.  
He opened the camera of his phone to look at himself. His eyes were indeed black. It didn’t look so badass anymore. He wanted to cry. He had no idea what was happening and it was almost as if it was straight out of a horror movie.   
“Hey Minho, if you’re awake. We’re all heading out now. You can stay in to get better, remember to eat later.” Chan scribbled the same words down on a note and left it on the counter in case Minho didn’t hear it. The door got closed and locked. Minho had no clue someone else stayed behind to make sure he was alright. 

Alone, finally. Minho immediately walked out of the room and was headed to the bathroom.   
Hyunjin walked out right in front of him,   
“Oh so now you’re showing yourself? Because you thought you were alone.” Hyunjin smirked.

Minho stared down to the floor, he closed his eyes. Hyunjin could not see them. 

“Hey.” Hyunjin spoke with a softer tone this time. “What is it? This is not like you at all.” Hyunjin was worried, it was shown in his tone and his body language. Movements soft and caring.   
Minho felt bad for ignoring him, felt even worse for what he did now. He pushed Hyunjin to the side and almost ran to the bathroom. He quickly locked the door. He was scared, so scared. For his own safety, the others safety. Hyunjin’s safety. 

“What the fuck Minho? What has gone into you?” Hyunjin shouted from the other side of the door, his voice louder as he approached the bathroom. 

Good question. What has gone into me? I don’t know myself.

Minho could feel his face heating, his eyes watering. He sat down against the door, holding around his knees. Why. He felt like a failure. Everything was fine and dandy a day ago. How could something get so fucked up in a day. He put his head down, letting the tears fall. He didn’t bother to dry them.

I’m a monster. What if I lose control over myself? What if whatever this is starts to decide what I do? What if it makes me kill them? Kill Chan? Or Felix? Or Changbin? Or Hyunjin. Any of them. I can’t let that happen. No. I’m dangerous. I’m a danger to them.

Minho had been in the bathroom for almost two hours, not made a single sound since he entered. Hyunjin had made many attempts to try and talk to him, to try and understand what is happening to him. Minho never replied. Hyunjin had to try something else. He found a pen and paper, the crack under the door was big enough for the pen to roll through.

“I’m worried Minho. If you don’t talk, fine. Write to me then. What is going on?” 

Minho noticed the pen rolling through the crack and moved away from the door so he didn’t ruin the paper. He grabbed the pen and stared at the paper.   
To write an obvious lie or to tell him the truth?   
“I’m sick.” He shook his head. He scribbled over the words to make them unreadable. “You won’t believe me. If you do, you’ll be too scared and make everything worse.” He sent them back.

“Argh, what do you mean Minho?” Hyunjin said, frustration clear in his tone. Minho sighed. This paper technique wasn’t going to work. He had to speak. He did a test hum to see if his voice was normal or not. It was normal. 

The paper and pen came rolling back but Minho ignored them. He stood up, checked his eyes and they were also back to normal. Why did it change so quickly? It almost annoyed him but he ignored it. He took a deep breath and unlocked the door. He didn’t want to open it. He sat down on the warm tiles of the heated bathroom floor instead. The door handle turned eerie slow. Hyunjin just stuck his head in as if checking if it was clear for something. He entered the room, locked the door and took out the key and put it in his pocket to make sure Minho didn’t try to escape again. He sat down cross-legged in front of from Minho.

“Speak. Tell.” Hyunjin spoke in an angry tone. He hadn’t looked at Minho yet. Minho feared Hyunjin because he sounded so mad, ready to attack him any second. Hyunjin feared Minho because he was hiding something, something was not right. Minho flinched at Hyunjin’s sharp voice, almost intimidated. 

Minho could already feel an uneasy lump in his throat. He couldn’t speak without starting to cry. He took a deep breath. He turned himself around, so his back was facing Hyunjin. It would be easier to tell if he didn’t see his reactions. This confused Hyunjin but he let it slide, figuring it would make sense once the boy started talking. 

“I’m—” His voice breaking at the first word. He let out an annoyed heavy breath. He sighed as he realized he couldn’t escape crying. “I’m scared.” His voice shaking. 

“Scared? Of what?” Hyunjin’s voice was softer again. More soothing. 

“Something is happening to me. It started last night, during the marathon. I don’t know what it is. This is going to sound like fucking bullshit but it is true. All of this is true. Promise me to take me seriously.” Minho stated before explaining.

“Yes, of course. I always believe you. Whatever is going on, I believe you.” Hyunjin said warmly. He hadn’t moved so there was still a good distance between them. 

“My eyes, they started stinging. Like that feeling you get when you’re too close to a bonfire. So. I went to the bathroom to try and cool them. But— This is going to sound dumb. Don’t laugh at me please. They were black, my eyes were completely black. The entire eyeball was black and then it was just gone. I couldn’t sleep so I woke up earlier today and then my voice was super weird. It was like multiple voices speaking at the same time. My eyes were black again, which is why I didn’t look up and had to push you. I didn’t want to scare you. It’s fucking annoying that they’re not black or that my voice is weird now because now you’re not going to believe me…” Minho grabbed the strings of his hoodie with his shaking hands when he finished his explanation. He was nervous, he probably sounded like a lunatic. 

“Minho… Are you sure? Are you sure it wasn’t just a dream?” Hyunjin asked carefully. Struggling to believe what he was being told. 

“It wasn’t a dream! I am sure.” His voice cracked at the last word, it turned loud and eerie. All those different voices together in one again. He froze in his spot at the change of his voice. 

“Minho stop joking. This isn’t funny.” Hyunjin was afraid now that he witnessed it. He didn’t want to believe it. It had to be some sick prank, right? 

“I’m not lying! This is not a joke. I have no idea what’s happening and I’m scar—” His sentence was cut short as an intense, piercing pain struck through his entire body. “Ow!” He tumbled over to the side, lying fetal position. He closed his eyes and winced at the pain. It felt like something was growing in his entire body. “Hyunjin, leave! Just go. Leave me alone. I don’t want to get you hurt.” Minho managed to say. 

“No. I’m not leaving you in pain.” Hyunjin was determined. He had no idea what was happening but he did not enjoy seeing Minho in such pain and he was not just going to leave him alone! Was Minho crazy?

Minho tilted his head up, the stinging in his eyes was insane. He stared at Hyunjin. “Please.” 

“Your— Your eyes!” Hyunjin was terrified. He unlocked the door and ran out, making sure to lock it again. He didn’t want to leave Minho alone like that but he had no other choice.

Minho stood up when the pain lessened, it was still there but not crippling. He stared at himself in the mirror. “I’m a monster.” 

Then he understood. “I want to die. I want to die. I want to die!” Minho shouted. “Is that what you want? Whatever you are. You want me to die, don’t you?” 

Hyunjin felt nauseous at what he was hearing. It was insane. He was in too much shock to process the meaning of what Minho was saying on the other side of the door. He just sat there, stunned. 

Minho scrambled through the cabinets. He found a pack of razor blades. He was shaking so much he dropped the pack. He sat down and picked one back up as they all fell around him. 

Hyunjin got cautious when he heard the sound of all the blades falling to the floor. He was ready to open the door and stop Minho from whatever was going on. 

“Okay demon! Here. Have what you want.” Minho hissed. He dragged the blade over his arm. He was too weak to do any severe damage. He groaned. He changed his grip on the blade and repeated the process. He was slow for the first few lines, then he got more desperate. He wanted to make everything stop. It was hurting him so bad. He picked up the pace of his movements, making the cuts longer and deeper with the force he was pressing down with. Blood started oozing and dripping to the floor. 

Hyunjin shot up when his brain finally understood what was happening. He fiddled with the key but he managed to unlock it. He barged in and froze at the sight. Minho was standing there, tears streaming down his face but his face was expressionless, no emotion. His eyes fixated at what he was doing to his arm. 

It stopped. 

It all stopped and Minho crashed back to reality. He fell to the floor, almost knocking himself unconscious.   
“MINHO!” Hyunjin shouted as he ran into the bathroom. He ignored the blood on the floor and the blood that was still pulsating out of Minho’s arm.   
“Hey. Hey. Minho. Are you ok? Can you hear me? Minho.” Tears were threatening to fall from Hyunjin’s eyes now. Minho wasn’t responding. Hyunjin cleaned up the blood on the floor, proceeding to clean Minho’s arms and bandaging them. The minutes passed painfully slow as he waited for Minho to just do anything, to show a bigger sign of life than just breathing. 

Minho inhaled sharply out of nowhere. “Minho! Jesus Christ on a bike.” Hyunjin was startled but got up quickly and ran to the kitchen, returning with a cup of water. “Here.” Hyunjin put a supporting hand on the back of Minho’s head as he helped him drink the water. Hyunjin helped Minho as he sat up. They were leaning against the wall. “What, what just happened.” Minho was still drowsy and out of it. “I have no idea, but I think we got rid of whatever it was.” Hyunjin told him with a reassuring but broken smile. 

Minho lifted his arms to try and hug Hyunjin, he winced as a pain shot through his arm. “Oh.” He remembered what he had done. “Hyunjin. Do not tell anyone about this. Help me heal them so they won’t be so visible. They can’t know. They would get the wrong idea. Chan especially, he must never know of this.”

Hyunjin nodded in agreement. “I will help you. I will always be here to support. Ok? Whenever shit is going down, demon possessed or not. Come to me.” 

Minho nodded.

“Come. I think the others are coming back soon. We need to look like we were doing normal shit and not being possessed by a demon.” Hyunjin said as he supported Minho when they walked to the living room. Hyunjin put on a comedy movie. Minho slumped down on the couch. Hyunjin stood and stared at him for a few seconds before finding a blanket.  
He sat down beside Minho, abnormally closer than they used to. Minho’s face was a big question mark until Hyunjin unfolded the blanket and wrapped them both in it. He smiled, with his eyes too, making Minho just chuckle but smile in response. Their eyes moving away from each other and focusing on the screen as the movie started. 

Hyunjin was exhausted from all the stress and worry he had to go through these past two hours, he fell asleep halfway through the movie. Minho was staring more at him than the on the TV screen in front of him. Minho chuckled, realizing it took a demon possession to make him realize what he feels for Hyunjin. He leaned closer to the sleeping boy’s face, with the intention to kiss his cheek. 

“Love you. Goodnight.” 

Minho’s throat hurt, his eyes stinging. It returned. Minho straddled Hyunjin and wrapped both his hands around his neck. Strangling him with full force, with the intention to kill. Hyunjin woke up and started screaming before his air got blocked. He attempted to punch and kick the possessed boy away but to no avail. Dark eyes staring into black and soulless ones. Minho pressed harder and Hyunjin struggled with breathing. 

“Minho. It’s me. Hyunjin.” His voice got muffled. He wanted to talk him out of it but it couldn’t work as he was barely able to speak.   
The door got slammed open. 

“Woah, whoa there. That’s kinky.” Felix laughed before he realized what was going on. 

The demon possessing Minho flicked his eyes back to normal, it can’t get caught.   
Chan ran to them, fighting to get Minho off Hyunjin. The demon left, Minho fainted again and fell off Hyunjin, right to the floor. Hyunjin gasped for air and massaged his throat.

“What the hell was that? How and why did he even faint like that?” Chan growled, anger and confusion clear in his behavior. 

“It’s a very long story that I am not able to tell.”


	2. Darker eyes & a stranger soul

Hyunjin is good at lies and storytelling. He came up with a story on how they were playing a dumb game and that Minho was just pretending to choke him. He didn’t have a good explanation on why Minho just fainted yet. He said he searched it up and that it was probably just the anxiety he was feeling. Weirdly enough, everyone had believed him.   
They were seated around the dining table, Chan still in the kitchen preparing the food. Out of nowhere Hyunjin remembered what Felix has said when he entered the apartment that day. 

“Yo Felix! Do you remember when I almost got murdered by Minho?” 

Minho kicked Hyunjin under the table, Hyunjin giving a visible response and laughed at him. Minho rolled his eyes.

“Uhh, yeah?” Felix raised an eyebrow, slowly starting to giggle.

“Why the fuck did you say ‘kinky’?” 

Changbin choked on his food from across the table. 

Minho hit him with his fork. “He what?” 

Felix tried his hardest to suppress the laugh that was building but he couldn’t help himself. Hyunjin had purposefully left out that detail when explaining to Minho what happened when he got back to his normal self. 

“Well, to my defense. If you walked into someone not only being strangled but also straddled. That position made it feel like a whole other thing was going on.” By now the whole table was a loud mess of laughter. All except Minho, who sat buried with his head in his hands, face red from embarrassment. He was shaking his head, in disbelief of this whole situation. 

“God damnit.” He laughed with the others when he looked back up.

Chan came out the kitchen with two plates off good looking and even better smelling food. They dug in, telling jokes and having a great time. 

Minho froze. He put his hand up to his eyes, blocking the others from seeing them. That familiar feeling, the stinging. He kicked Hyunjin in the leg and stared at him. ‘Help. My eyes.’ He mouthed, making sure only Hyunjin got it. Minho blinked and he noticed Hyunjin flinch. They changed. The eyes are black again. 

“Uhm, I think I ate too much.” Minho mumbled before standing up, bumping the whole table in the process and then walked out of the kitchen and straight to the bathroom.

Three days had gone by since this last happened. He thought the demon got what it wanted but obviously not.   
“What do you want?” He spoke to himself in the mirror. A shiver rushed through him, making his entire body shake. It didn’t seem like a normal shiver, it was more like many violent ticks at the same time.   
“Oh, you’re gonna make me t-ticky now?” Another tick made his head jolt to the side, making him stutter on the word. 

He fumbled his phone out of his pocket, he found Hyunjin’s contact and sent a message.

“New shit is happening. Come c. help” 

His hands ticked violently, making him drop his phone. “For fucks sake and rice cakes.” A few minutes later he could hear feet stomping down the hall, followed by a knock on the   
door.

“It’s me.” He instantly recognized the voice and opened the door. Hyunjin closed it after himself and looked at Minho. 

“I thought we were done with this shit. What’s happening?” He seemed annoyed but still scared.

“It’s making me tick. Look.” Minho demonstrated by standing still, his head twitching to the side in an abrupt motion. 

Hyunjin stepped closer to the ticking boy. He scrunched his eyebrows, making a face to show he was thinking. “I have an idea. If you try to ignore it.” 

He got cut off. “I can’t just igno—” 

“Nononono. Shhh.” Hyunjin continued. Pressing his finger softly on Minho’s lips to make him shut up. “Just try. Try to ignore it. Not pay it any attention. Act like your regular self when you feel it, like you’re doing now. Maybe it will disappear once it understands that you’re not a good vessel for it? Get annoyed and leave you, like a cat!” Hyunjin smirked.   
He was pretty proud of his theory and plan. 

“Okay. It does make sense. I’ll try. You may be a damned idiot but you’re good with demons.” Minho winked. 

“That’s just because you’re the one possessed by one.” Hyunjin mumbled, almost hoping Minho didn’t hear it. “What’s that?” Minho leaned closer, cupping his ear as to hear better.

“Nothing and back off please. You still look really creepy. Well, it actually looks kinda hot— I mean cool but still fucking freaky.”   
Minho laughed. “Sure, buddy.” 

“Hey, if you two are humping in there. Use protection. Be safe, rabbits.” Felix again. 

“Dude come on! Minho is actually sick right now and I’m just helping him.” Hyunjin shouted the blatant lie. 

“Because people strangle-straddle-ride people when they’re sick. Okay.” Felix commented, you could feel his smirk through the walls.

“Oh fuck off!” Hyunjin shouted again, annoyance clear in his tone this time. 

Meanwhile Minho was trying his best not to laugh his ass off. Hyunjin shot him a glare, dead serious but trying not to laugh at the same time. They heard the steps of Felix walking away.

“That bastard I swear to Satan.” Hyunjin shook his head and returned his gaze to Minho.

Minho’s face turned serious, “Ok but real talk. We may be joking about this demon thing because we’re used to it. It’s still really fucking scary and I’d be much happier not being used to have a demon in me. I’m scared you know? I, that thing, tried to kill you the last time!” He fiddled with the strings of his hoodie, being too nervous to be able to stand still. Eyes focused on the tiles on the floor. 

“Hey.” Hyunjin snapped his fingers in front of his face. He put both his hands on Minho’s shoulders and shook them. Minho didn’t feel strong or threatening like he usually does when you touch him, he felt weak and fragile. If Hyunjin even so much as pressed a finger too hard it felt as if Minho was going to shatter into a million pieces. 

Minho stopped fiddling. Eyes still fixed on the pattern of the floor tiles. Tears building up in his eyes, slowly blurring his vision. Minho sniffled as he let the tears fall. He was angry at himself for crying, especially in front of Hyunjin. He wasn’t weak. He didn’t want to come off as weak. His eyes went back to normal when he tried to blink away his tears. 

“I’m so scared Hyunjinnie. What if I get someone killed? Maybe if I kill myself… then, then no one else will be hurt.” Minho spoke everything that lurked into his train of thought. It hurt as much as it felt relieving to speak all his feelings. 

“Don’t. Do not fucking say that Lee Minho. You’re not going to stand here, right in front of me and say you want to kill yourself.” Hyunjin took a deep breath, he bit harshly down on his lip and stared up at the roof, trying not to cry. “We’re going to do this, ok? We will kill, or at least make it disappear forever. You’re strong Minho. You’re a whole badass and a damned demon will not be the thing that tears you down. I, Hwang Hyunjin, will not allow that to ever happen as long as I’m alive.” His voice rasp, hoarse from trying not to cry. 

Minho didn’t answer. He lifted his head up and locked his eyes with Hyunjin’s. Hyunjin broke his façade when he saw how Minho looked. Dark circles under his eyes, dry skin from where old tears where drying but new ones kept falling. His lower lip darkened, probably from biting it. He lips were quivering. Hyunjin noticed how tears were swelling in the other’s eyes again. Minho barely shook his head, he closed his eyes and looked down. He leaned closer to Hyunjin and crashed into his chest. Arms finding their way around the taller boy. Hyunjin held his arms around Minho, tightening the already nonexistent gap between them.

“I’m just so tired. I want it to go away. I want to be normal again.” Minho’s voice was muffled against Hyunjin’s chest but still audible. Hyunjin traced soothing patterns on Minho’s back. “It’s okay, Minho. You will be okay. You will be normal again.” Hyunjin lifted his chin up with his index finger. “Look at me.” Minho opened his eyes, slow. His breathing was slow but heavy as he tried to calm himself. “Hyunjinnie, you’re not allowed to leave my side ever again. I fucking need you.” 

“Oh, not even giving me choice are we?” Hyunjin pretended to wiggle away from Minho’s arms.

“No,” Minho smiled as he pulled Hyunjin back in the hug. Minho’s body twitched in the embrace, scaring Hyunjin in the process. Minho let out an annoyed grunt. “Hey. Ignore it.” Once again Minho just gave an annoyed grunt in response. 

“Jesus fucking Christ on a tricycle.” Hyunjin murmured as he tilted Minho’s head up with his index finger for the second time that evening. “Can’t speak from experience here but try to act normal. Don’t respond when the thing does shit to you. Distract yourself from it.” 

“I don’t know about you but it’s kinda hard to distract yourself from something that is inside you or in my case, that IS ME.” Minho had stopped crying, if anything he had grown angry in the past few minutes. His voice louder and choppier with every word he spoke. The boys stood still, staring into each other eyes as if they were searching for something lost. Minho’s chin still resting on Hyunjin’s fingertip. Minho’s gaze was intense from anger while Hyunjin’s face was filled with worry. 

\--

Everyone noticed it. Chan especially. They all saw how Hyunjin’s face was full of worry every time he stared at Minho for a little longer than normal. They all witnessed how the two boys grew closer over just a few days. It was like they were the seven third-wheels in a bad romcom. Chan’s curiosity got the best of him once they were out alone, chilling at a park before they were heading off to see a movie.

“Hey uh, Hyunjin. What’s with you and Minho lately?” Chan raised an eyebrow as he waited for a response. 

Hyunjin started choking on the water he was drinking as he heard Chan’s question. “Uhm, uh. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” They both knew that was a blatant lie, Chan just stared at him with a face that read ‘Really bitch?’ 

Hyunjin sighed. “Okay, MinhoIsPossessedByADemonAndWe’reTryingToHideItAndI’mWorriedBecauseTheThingIsCapableOfMurder.” He took no pauses and no breaths in his short monologue. 

Chan leaned his head back in a confused matter and squinted his eyes. “All I got was ‘Minho’ and something with ‘hide’ from that. You need to repeat that a little slower buddy.” 

Hyunjin panicked. Why was Chan pressing him in a corner like this? “Uh, we’re dating.” 

“Finally! A verbal confirmation of what we all already know.” Chan rolled his eyes playfully. 

“Wha- what do you mean ‘already know’?” 

“Dude, You’re basically eye-banging him all the time. It’s pretty obvious. Minho is good at hiding it though, but you—" Chan slapped Hyunjin’s cheek with a soft hand. “You’re a big softie.” 

“Idiot.” Hyunjin laughed as he slapped the other’s arm before putting his head down in shame, trying his best to hide his rosy cheeks. He didn’t know why he was blushing, it was a lie. They weren’t dating. They were taking care of an actual demon. Hyunjin guessed the blushing came from embarrassment more than anything. He’s a skillful liar, he can even fool himself. 

“Don’t— Don’t tell Minho though.” Chan’s reaction to Minho’s words were clear in his expression. 

“He doesn’t want anyone to know. We’re just like, on a trial period. To see if it works out at all before we go serious, you know.” Hyunjin stuttered a little. 

“’Trial Period’ Free for a month then charge $69 per week?” Chan was enjoying it. He’s never seen Hyunjin so flustered before so he dragged it out as much as he could.

Hyunjin facepalmed. “Wooow, that was so dumb. You know what I meant.”

Bzzzt. Bzzzt. Hyunjin’s phone vibrated, signaling it got a message. 

“Goodbye Hyunjinnie.”

“No. Fuck, shit, fuck, shit, shitfuck. Fuckshit.” Hyunjin was mumbling to himself, he stood up from the bench he was seated on. 

“What? The fuck did that message say?” Chan was yet again struck by confusion. 

“I’ve got to go back. Enjoy the movie. Sorry.” Hyunjin rushed away, out of Chan’s sight before he could even think of a response.

He sprinted to the apartment building, stomped up the stairs probably annoying all the neighbors in the process. He twisted the door handle and punched the door open. Jeongin, Seungmin and Woojin were in the living room, staring at a panting Hyunjin. Hyunjin ignored them as he took off to wherever. He checked his dorm room, not there. He turned around and headed straight to the bathroom. He grabbed the door handle and froze. There could be anything behind that door and Hyunjin was not ready for any of the possibilities. He twisted the handle and to his surprise it was unlocked. 

Minho stood by the sink. A bottle of pills on the floor with most of its contents around it. Minho jumped and dropped the razor he was holding when Hyunjin barged in. Dark eyes. Red arms. Pale face and a twitching body. 

“No—” Minho cried. “Why did you come. I don’t wanna live anymore. It’s too strong. It hurts Hyunjinnie! It hurts so bad. I want it all to end. Why did you stop me? Why won’t you let me die? Die so I can stop this thing, for everyone’s good. Please, I want it all to stop.” Minho faced him, body shaking from pain. 

Hyunjin’s vision was blurred by tears as he started rummaging the cabinets for bandages. He found some and started wrapping it around Minho’s arm. 

“Did you take any of those?” Hyunjin said with a stern voice and pointed to the pills on the floor. 

Minho shook his head. He took a deep breath, lips shaking as he was trying to speak. 

“Shut up. Don’t say anything.” 

Minho stood awkward as Hyunjin was stressing around him, cleaning up the mess. He found the razor Minho had dropped and picked it up. Tears streaming even heavier than before as he looked at the blade for a few seconds before tossing it in the trash. He stopped stressing and stood still. He kept some distance between them as Minho still had black eyes, not risking getting killed again. 

The bathroom was quiet. The only sound drowning out complete silence being the occasional sniffling from both. 

“Don’t you dare even think about doing that again.” Hyunjin said before he left the room. 

Minho turned around and looked at himself in the mirror. All he could see was a monster. A black-eyed, pale, bleeding, disgusting monster. He wanted to end it, he wanted to make sure everyone was safe. He couldn’t, Hyunjin was not letting that happen. Minho had broken down his walls for the first time in his life, he felt extremely vulnerable. Minho   
slid down against the wall and sat there, twitching a little from time to time. He lost track of time as he spaced out. Thinking about everything but nothing at the same time.

“Hey! Are you awake? The boys have gone to bed. Come on, let me help you to your bed.” Minho opened his eyes slowly, vision blurry from just waking up. The darkness of the   
room not helping with trying to figure out who was talking. 

“Mm.” 

He felt himself getting dragged up, making him more awake. As his eyes adjusted themselves to the darkness he noticed it was Hyunjin talking. Hyunjin took Minho’s arm around his neck and walked to his bedroom.   
Minho laid down in his bed, already half asleep. Hyunjin was on his way out when Minho grabbed his hoodie, holding him back. 

“Don’t leave.” 

“Where else should I be?” Hyunjin questioned, confused with tired Minho’s intentions. 

“Here.” Minho moved over, closer to the wall. 

Hyunjin hesitated for a brief moment before giving in. He sat down on the side of the bed, head tilted so he could look at Minho. 

“Not good enough.” Minho patted the space left on his pillow. 

Hyunjin chuckled before laying down beside him. “The boys are going to see us like this you know.” Hyunjin whispered as his head hit the pillow. 

“I don’t care.” Minho mumbled.

They quickly noticed the position they were in, their faces so close to each other. A finger couldn’t even fit between them. Both their faces heated up, crimson color. 

“Good night, sleep tight.” Minho giggled before turning around and facing the wall. 

Hyunjin was left on the edge of the bed almost falling off, yet he felt so cozy. He closed his eyes and went to sleep with an unexplainable smile on his lips.

The bright morning sun hit Hyunjin in the face, waking him up. He was about to do his usual morning stretch when he felt stuck. Confused, he opened his eyes. This wasn’t his bed, not even his room. He blinked a couple times to adjust to the light before being able to fully register the situation. 

He was tangled in with Minho. A still sleeping, soft looking Minho at that. He felt his face heat up as he studied his features. He didn’t mind waking up confused anymore. Hyunjin laid his head back down on the pillow, slow and soft in an attempt to not wake Minho. Hyunjin thought he was successful but Minho was awake this entire time.

Hyunjin’s face got squished more than he wanted so he wiggled a little to get more comfortable. Minho took this opportunity and pecked Hyunjin’s lips. Quick and soft, almost unnoticeable if you didn’t pay attention. Hyunjin took a while to understand what had just happened. Minho hadn’t opened his eyes but he was smiling a devilish smirk. 

“You little shit.” Hyunjin chuckled and flicked Minho’s cheek with the arm that was slung over said boys side.


	3. Dead eyes & a stray soul

Painkillers.

Painkillers are a godsend Minho didn’t know he needed until he got possessed by a demon. It’s been over a month, nothing has changed. The unexplainable pain growing stronger, more suffocating by each day that passes. Today was no different. All the boys were sat in the living room, just chilling after practice as they were allowed home early for once. 

Minho winced in pain as he fixed the pillow behind his back. There was no explanation for the pain, it was just there. He was functioning properly, everything just stung and burned. Almost as if he was burning up from inside. The boys who had gotten no explanation on why Minho started isolating himself and wincing in pain whenever he did join them, were growing suspicious. 

Bzzzt. Minho’s phone buzzed in his lap. 

“The fact that we’re in a fake relationship to cover up a fucking demon possession is hilarious.” 

It was Hyunjin. Minho tilted his head to look at Hyunjin who sat in a cozy chair on the other end of the open room. What was the point of that random message?

Fake?

Minho didn’t reply and put his attention back on the show that was airing on TV. Although his eyes were focused on the screen, his mind definitely wasn’t. His thoughts wandered far and distant, settling down in a gloomy darkness. That was not a good place for Minho to land in his mental state. He wiggled out of his seat and halted his way to the bathroom. He always went to the bathroom in situations like this, it was the only room in the apartment with a lock on the door. Complete privacy and no interruptions. 

He didn’t notice he was crying until he had to wipe the tears from his cheeks. He slammed his back against the wall and slid down to the very familiar spot on the floor. Minho was hurt. It hurt more than he ever would have thought. They never made anything official and Minho had only pecked Hyunjin once. Did Hyunjin think Minho was just confused with his feelings because he was possessed? Because his feelings for Hyunjin were very, very real and they had been since long before a demon decided to pay a visit. 

His knuckles turned white as he gripped the phone and stared at the message. He threw the phone on the floor in front of him, wishing it would break. It bounced but didn’t crack. His eyes stared at the phone. Sadness being replaced with fury. Was it just a game to Hyunjin? Did he think he could toy with Minho because he was the vessel of a demon? 

Bzzzt. 

Burning eyes darted to the phone. It felt as if the demon got summoned by his anger. His neck ticked to the side, noise of a loud crack echoed in the small bathroom. 

“You ok?” 

Minho laughed, finding it funny how Hyunjin pretended to care. Minho still got hurt, it felt like someone had stabbed him and pulled his heart straight out. 

“Fake?” 

He did feel almost childish for his response and behavior. He had no reason to be either sad or angry, the feelings just weren’t mutual. Minho had to accept that one day. It was obvious since day one, how awkward Hyunjin was around him after Minho started showing more affection. How he seemed to avoid Minho the rest of the day after he had kissed him. 

The message was left on read and footsteps were audible in the hallway, coming closer by the second. Aggressive knocking made the door shake. Minho’s hands covered his sensitive ears as the banging seemed louder than it should to the human ear. He struggled his way up from the floor and unlocked the door before even knowing who was behind it.

To no surprise, it was Hyunjin. No emotion visible on his face, like a stone. Minho was fuming with anger with no real source or reason. Face stern as he watched the boy across from him. 

Hyunjin raised a hand and slapped it across the demon boy’s face. Minho stumbled back, caught in confusion rather than the stinging pain. 

“I said fake because we never did confess or anything of that. All I did was say we’re together to Chan so he didn’t find about the whole demon thing. I never thought you liked me. And yeah, I’m not going to deny it. I was and am still very skeptical, it could be the demon fuckin with your brains. We never know.” Hyunjin’s stone face softened at the end of his speech. 

“Really? You really think I don’t like you? Then what did all my clingy hugging that day mean? What was that kiss to you?” Minho’s anger grew. His head heating up to the point   
where it felt like it could explode any second. 

Hyunjin just shrugged. 

Minho grabbed Hyunjin’s sweater and dragged him in and slammed the door shut behind him. “Anyway, I think I know how to get rid of this crazy bitch.”

Hyunjin’s face immediately lit up then turned in to a question-mark of anticipation. “How?”

“Well, if you don’t want me to kill myself then you need to do it.”

“I need to WHAT? Nope, no, never. I’m gonna stop you right there.” Hyunjin crossed his arms, shocked from the words Minho had spoken. 

Minho shook his head, ticking in the process. The feeling of burning up from the inside and out returning. 

“I’m serious. I’ve spent days researching. If this is the type of demon I think it is, then I will die. The demon leaves, and I get resurrected. I promise. It’s our only choice. Will you trust me in this?” 

Hyunjin was silent for a few seconds. Processing the information he was told before making his decision. 

“Fine, but if you fucking don’t come back. Which means that I literally fucking killed you. I’m telling it all to the police, confessing to murdering you with another story and sitting in for the rest of my life because I can not live with myself knowing I killed you.” Hyunjin waved his pointed finger around and pressed it to Minho’s chest when he was done talking. 

“Fair enough.” Minho shrugged. 

“So, how do we do this?” Hyunjin leaned on the counter. 

“Drown me in the bathtub. Hold me down. No matter how much noise I make, how much I struggle and squirm. Do. Not. Let. Go. Hold me underwater until I stop moving.” Minho   
was dead serious. 

“Woah. That’s harsh. I’m going to feel so bad, even worse if you fucking die in my arms!” Hyunjin was beginning to rethink the idea.

“Just do it. Please, it’s our only shot.” Minho walked over and stood in front of Hyunjin. Hyunjin leaned his head back, feeling intimidated by the black-eyed boy in front of him. 

Minho smirked and raised his hand. Slithering it up to Hyunjin’s face like it was a snake sneaking up to its prey. He placed four fingers on the boy’s cheek and tilted it toward himself. 

Hyunjin was hesitant but he responded by wrapping his arms around Minho’s lower back. Minho leaned into him, he could feel Hyunjin’s breath tickling his face. 

“You know, to be a twitching demon with black eyes and a terrifying voice at times— You’re pretty cute.” 

Minho smacked his chest. “Shut up, you called me hot the first time and now I’m degraded to cute? Disappointing.” 

“That’s because hot is your standard mode. You being cute is very rare.”

“Smooth.” 

“What time do we set off from our schedules as murder hours?” Hyunjin said out of nowhere.

“For fucks sake, really? Later tonight by the way. When the rest are sleeping.” Minho leaned his head against the taller boy’s chest, chuckling over the ruined moment. 

“Cool.” Hyunjin couldn’t help but laugh at himself. “Sorry.” He slid his index finger under Minho’s chin, a habit he had picked up these last few weeks. He tilted his head up and leaned in for a quick kiss. The kiss lasted longer than intended when they both sunk into the soft feeling. 

“I knew it! I told you they were kissing! Hey! Don’t run away! You owe me ten bucks!” 

They both froze in the pose as the loud voice rang through the apartment. They never locked the door. Amateur move.

“Felix! Oh my god, I swear—” Hyunjin was about to rip away from the hug and dash after the freckled boy but Minho stopped him. 

“Don’t bother. I have a feeling that’s something we need to get used to.” 

“Not if you die, no.” Hyunjin responded, half joking- half serious.

“Jesus fuck in a truck, Hyunjin. Can you stop talking about the possibility of me dying? It’s not like I want to die either. I want to survive this hellhole so we can surpass Changbin and Felix in being the best couple.” Minho laughed but was cut off by a sharp pain rushing through his entire body, mostly in his head. He shut his eyes and held around his stomach, letting out a groan of pain. 

Hyunjin reacted quick, holding around him so he didn’t fall over. It hurt him seeing Minho in such pain, he couldn’t even imagine what it was like. “Get my fucking painkillers.” 

None of them really understood how normal, human-made painkillers helped with unexplainable pain as it had no source or cause but it helped and that’s what matters. 

Hyunjin let Minho slide down to the floor as he ran to Minho’s room where he kept his bottle of painkillers. He got a glass of water and rushed back. He watched as Minho swallowed a couple of pills and sat down across from him.

“Why are you sitting down? You’re my slave now, carry me to my bed. Peasant.” Minho commanded in a fake, posh accent. 

“As you wish.” Hyunjin sat the glass of water up on the counter before carefully picking up Minho. Hyunjin adjusted his grip on Minho’s thighs as Minho wrapped his arms around his neck. 

Minho changed back to normal and fell asleep at once. Hyunjin tucked him in before returning to the other boys. The whole living room got silent as he entered. 

“You two are straight out of a romcom drama I swear to God.” Chan shook his head and smiled.

Felix tried to hide himself behind Changbin. Hyunjin marched right up to him, he grabbed Felix’s shirt in a fist and dragged him out. 

“You. Who did you bet with?” Hyunjin’s fake anger was a funny thing. He acted sharp but had the goofiest smile on his face. 

Everyone except Chan and Woojin raised their hands.

“Oh, for fucks sake guys. You never did this shit with these two.” He tilted his head to the side, referring to Changbin and Felix.

“That’s because they weren’t trying to hide it and went all out, and are still going all out— from the start.” They all nodded in agreement to Jisung’s statement. 

Hyunjin joined them and sat down on the couch. They had ordered pizza for supper and were waiting eagerly for it. Hyunjin checked if Minho was awake to ask him if he wanted some but the boy was still knocked out, his sleeping face looking untroubled and peaceful. Hyunjin caught himself staring and shook his head. After the pizza was gone they all helped with the dishes and cleaning for once, blasting music from the speakers to speed up the process. 

Eventually they all went to bed and fell asleep, escaping to a better dreamland. Hyunjin grew nervous as the minutes passed, he fiddled with the strings on his hoodie and was not able to sit still. He made sure the coast was clear and snuck into Minho, Woojin and Chan’s room and woke up Minho. They walked to the bathroom and made sure to lock the door. 

Hyunjin’s breathing grew heavy as the anxiety was building up. 

“Are we really doing this? Like, for real?” Hyunjin asked nervously as he watched Minho turn the tap and start to fill the tub. 

Minho only nodded in response. He was afraid that if he spoke he would break down and he was not letting that happen again. He took off his socks and sat down in the tub, fully clothed. He was so focused on his simple task of filling the tub and getting into it that he hadn’t noticed what Hyunjin was doing. 

Hyunjin started to cry. The nerves and emotions overtaking his will to be strong. He had dragged the sleeves of his shirt over his hands and used them to wipe his face. He was a silent crier except for the occasionally sniffling. 

Minho sat in the bathtub, observing Hyunjin and just now letting the reality of what they were about to do, settle in. 

“Hyunjinnie.” He hummed. 

Hyunjin sniffed and walked over to him, sitting down on his knees in front of the tub. He had a blank stare and said nothing. 

“Be strong. Ew, that was cringy. But like, just… Don’t be a pussy. Do not freak out if I don’t wake up at once. It said it could take up to an hour for me to wake up, you have to let out the water so I don’t fucking drown…again, if I do wake up though.” Minho slapped Hyunjin’s cheek softly.

Hyunjin reached up and held Minho’s hand. “What did you say? What do you mean‘If I do wake up?’ How sure, exactly, are you that this is a proper method and that it will work?” 

“Well. To be honest I didn’t find any good sources proving that this had been done successfully before but it was the only thing I found against this thing. It’s our only shot.” He spoke with a low voice, confessing his loss of confidence in the whole project. 

Hyunjin got annoyed, his pessimistic side taking over. Minho turned off the tap, sending Hyunjin’s thoughts back to reality. 

Minho let out a deep sigh as he sunk lower in the tub. His head was almost covered with water. Two hands grabbed his collar and dragged him up with full force. Hyunjin’s intense eyes meeting Minho’s now, scared ones. Tears were blurring Hyunjin’s vision but his look was kept stern. 

“Minho. I can’t—” He took a deep breath and blinked his tears out of his eyes, letting them fall on his lap. “I can’t. I can’t. I don’t want to. What if I’m not strong enough? What if I mess up? What if you never wake up? Ugh. Shit, Minho. I really can’t do this.” He was shaking his head violently as he backed out of the plan.

“No. Hyunjin you can’t do that.” Minho put a hand on the edge of the bathtub to hold himself up.

“We’re in this together now. I’m telling you, this is our only shot. Even if it doesn’t work, I wouldn’t want to live with myself afterwards anyway. This is fucking harder for me than I probably show. Do you think I want to be drowned by you and being fully aware what is happening and the possible consequences of it going wrong? Please. Just please, at least try. Okay?” Minho’s face softened as he laid a supportive hand on Hyunjin’s knee, drawing comforting circles with his thumb. 

Hyunjin sat still for a moment, processing everything. Thinking through the reality of it all. He darted his eyes back to Minho and leaned in with an abrupt motion. Their lips locked in what could be their last kiss. It was rough with the current situation but burning with passion.

“Okay. I’m ready.”

“I’m not but I have no choice.” Hyunjin sighed as he stood up, adjusting his position.

Minho sat up and turned around, his head facing the water. “Hold on to my head. Hold it down with all the strength you got when I most likely start to flail and deny it, you know. What normal people do when they get drowned.”

He locked his eyes with Hyunjin for one last time. “You hold me under no matter what. You only let go when I’ve stopped moving, stopped breathing. Love you.” He lowered head so it was hovering straight above the water.

The silence was deafening, not a single sound could be heard for a few seconds. An eerie, ominous aura filling the air. 

Hyunjin fixed his grip on Minho. One hand resting on the back of the boys head, the second placed on his back. “Love you, too.” He whispered as he dunked Minho’s head. He kept his head a good way down, making sure he could not breathe at all. After around twenty seconds Minho started fiddling. Arms flailing and body twisting and shaking under   
his grip. Minho’s arms shot up and started to claw on Hyunjin’s arm, wanting him to stop. 

Hyunjin didn’t stop. He put more strength into the grasp and made sure Minho stayed underwater. It hurt. It made Hyunjin nauseous, he wanted to throw up. He wanted to pull Minho out and hug him, tell him it was all okay. He could feel the physical pain shoot through his chest.

Minho started shaking, like he had a seizure. His muffled screams from underwater suddenly sounding much clearer and louder. The voice. His screams were full of pitches he normally would be far from able to reach. The water was sizzling, like it was vaporizing. 

Everything stopped. Minho stopped moving. The clock stopped ticking. Hyunjin stopped feeling. The Earth stopped spinning. Hyunjin let go and Minho’s body stayed there, floating but not at the same time. Hyunjin let out a sob he didn’t know he had, he wanted to scream but he couldn’t wake the others. He felt paralyzed, frozen in his position until the world came crashing down. He turned off the tap and stood there, watching the lifeless body in front of him. 

He cried as he stepped into the bath. He laid down and put Minho’s body over him. He cradled the lifeless boy with both arms. He let his head rest on the still shoulder. He held his arms tightly around Minho’s waist and let silent tears fall. 

If someone walked up to Hyunjin two months ago and told him he would kill own his best friend, now lover, in the bathtub he would laugh in their face. 

His mind racing through all the memories. Their dumb first kiss. His embarrassing confession about their relationship to Chan that was fake at first. He regretted everything. Why did had he agreed to this? 

An hour had almost gone by. Minho hadn’t moved at all. Hyunjin was losing hope.

He had killed him.

Hyunjin killed Minho.

Hyunjin wished it was the other way around.

Minho twitched.   
 


	4. Epilogue

Hyunjin kept his promise.

\---

“Hey.”

Hyunjin almost cried just hearing Chan’s voice. He hadn’t heard a familiar voice in four months.

“Hey.” He sighed.

“How are you?” Chan asked carefully over the phone.

Hyunjin laughed, “How do you think I am?”

“Dumb question, sorry.”

“Why did you take so long to call?” Hyunjin was angry at him but happy he did it at all.

“I don’t know. We were all busy grieving, you know. Minho isn’t coming back but there’s still a chance that you will.” Chan confessed, his voice low.

“Oh. So just because I survived I’m just forgotten until I return?” Hyunjin raised his voice, anger growing steadily.

The guards to the side fixed their attention to him. Patients around him looked uncomfortable and stared at him.

“Hyunjin,” Chan sighed and looked down. “It’s not like that.”

Hyunjin stood up and pushed his chair backwards. He punched the glass separating them, scaring Chan.

“Then what is it like Chan? Please explain. I’ve been lonely for four fucking months.” The guards approached him, ready to drag him away but he calmed and sat back down.

“It’s just, you killed him. And, and.. you blame it all on a demon? It’s just so much to handle. We don’t know if we believe you or not. Your DNA was all over him, Hyunjin. The scene was too obvious. We’re just glad you’re in here, getting help.”

“Fucking hell, Chan. He forced me to do it. I didn’t want to. He said he would survive. He said that’s how we got rid of the fucking demon inside of him. He told me he would survive and I went with it like an idiot.”

Chan was still staring down at the plate of the table in front of him. He didn’t know how to handle everything. He had barely gotten courage enough to come here in the first place. It hurt to see Hyunjin in this place. Locked up for at least 8 more months in a damned mental hospital. He wanted to believe Hyunjin, he really did. He has gone all around everywhere, searched all around the web to see if Hyunjin’s explanation makes sense. He found very little but he found a method of making a demon leave a body that matches with Hyunjin’s story. Nothing else.

“Sure. Sure, Hyunjin.” Chan closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. “I believe you, ok. But you’re still stuck in here for 8 more months for now. If you do weird shit again it might get even longer. I miss you like hell. I miss Minho like hell. The dorm is still a fucking mess and it’s so weird and feels so empty without the both of you.” He blurted, voice cracking as he couldn’t hold back his tears. It was so hard to face, for the both of them. All of them.

“We can do it okay? We will get through this. We can’t mourn over Minho forever but we will never forget him. I know I never will.” Hyunjin paused and took a deep breath. “I will do my best, ok? It’s so hard. I’m trying to be strong and the hospital and staff are kind to me but it’s still hard. We can do it.”

Chan nodded to his words, agreeing. He dragged his thumb across both his eyes, drying the tears.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m never going to leave you. Love you too much for that. I fucking miss you, dude. We all do.” Chan smiled a crooked smile and looked Hyunjin in the eyes for the first time that day.

“Time’s running out. Visit me more often from now on, yeah? Send some of the others too, if they’re not too scared.” Hyunjin smiled a genuine smile. His first real smile in four months.

“Will do.” Chan hang up the phone and placed his hand against the glass pane. Hyunjin placed his own on his side and hang up his own phone.

“Bye.” Chan mouthed when he walked out of the room.

“Bye!” Hyunjin shouted back as the guards followed him back to his room.


End file.
